I know it has been a little while since I've posted.  A lot has happened since my last post:  Egan actually raced for the first time in nearly a decade.  Nick actually made it out on a lunch run (on one of the worst possible days).  Bean took 3rd overall at Ironman Wisconsin.  I'll update everyone about my Ironman in a later post. The lunch group is putting it's finishing touches on their … [Read more...]

Now that the dog-days of Summer are behind us, it's hard to imagine that stifling heat of Summer on the track.  Last Tuesday's workout showed that Summer is not over just yet.  It was a brutally hot day to be on the track at Noon.  The guys fearlessly showed up and had 5 miles of pace work on the agenda (though one was cut due to the heat).  2 miles, mile & a mile were the flavors and the … [Read more...]

With my absence on the track of late, the boys have been steppin' it up with the workouts.  Last week, in preparations for Fall marathons, they did: 2 miles, 1 mile, 800, 400 at a little faster than 6:00 pace.  In fact, I heard results of 11:48, 5:47, 2:43, :81.  That's a tough workout.  Great job guys. The plan today is take this trend even further and run: 2 miles, 1 mile, 1 mile, & 1 … [Read more...]

Last tuesday at lunch, instead of nearly throwing up on the track, I did what every red-blooded Springfieldian does in August... I ate my way through the fair (and back).  Both "lunches" will make you nearly throw up, one is just a little better for you than the other.  I'll spare you the details of what I ate (trust me, you wouldn't want to know).  The guys, however, didn't follow me to lunch … [Read more...]

Last week our running group broke up into two groups for two different workouts.  Bill Owens took a group to the boulevard to run quarters on the grass and in the shade.  Essentially to get a little break from the heat.  I stayed at the track with a group to run a lot slower and a lot longer.  Did I mention it was 96 degrees with a 109 heat index?  Boy, did I choose the wrong workout.  … [Read more...]

Last week was again the first Tuesday of the month (boy they come around quickly) so we found ourselves marching down 1st street towrad the cemetery.  There were 12 of us, which seemed huge considering the heat index was 111 deg. (thanks, Buzz).  It was really an impressive group for the conditions as well as the fact that there were at least a couple no-shows due post half-Ironman recoveries.  … [Read more...]

Last week I was between races and feeling the effects of one while preparing for the effects of another.  I found myself happily taking it quite easy and still getting something in that resembled a track workout.  The rest of the crew (besides Lawyer and myself) ran 800s with a full recovery.  Recovery is a difficult thing to factor in when running a track workout (especially when the guys are … [Read more...]

Last week's workout was quite the challenge to most that took it on.  It's a workout that seems simple and not all that difficult to run.  It really is one long progression ending in total exhaustion.  From what I remember, I went one lap further than I did last year.  I'm not sure if that's a true sign of my fitness, or more of a luck of the draw with the weather and the timing of the workout … [Read more...]

The octopus that we ran two weeks ago was as usual as they come.  The difference was that we had someone to actually run with Lawyer on most of the hills.  Bean and Lawyer were running well along with several other guys.  I was very much struggling in the back because I was dumb enough the day before to ask, "how hilly could Hannibal, MO actually be?".  Well, the roadies showed me.  We had a … [Read more...]

Last week we had another great turnout and the weather treated us with some great running conditions.  I had been planning on changing the actual workout that I run to something more like a tempo workout on the track and still keep our traditional workout of intense speed at shorter distances.  My plan was to bring two different workouts and have the guys decide what would work best with their … [Read more...]